So the biggest news of the week just happened this morning when we received a VERY unexpected phone call from the mission president saying that my companion will be leaving to serve as a Sister Training Leader in Buda, and I will be staying in Kispest but with Sister Curtin as my new trainer. I am kind of in shock and sad to have Sister Broadhead leave, but I have met Sister Curtin a couple of times and I really like her, so I'm glad. It will be an adjustment, of course, but I think she will really be able to help me and I am excited to see what we can accomplish together over the next several weeks.
Other than that this week has been kind of challenging, with some super great moments.
There was one day when we had a ton of tracting, and we met all these crazy people. One apartment had this couple that we are fairly certain deal drugs, and their cat kept attacking me. The girl would not let us pray, and she seemed super out of it, and finally we just awkwardly left. Then later, we were in another apartment where these three brothers lived all alone. The one who let us in was 15 and really cool and bright, but the older ones super weird. One of them walked in on our lesson with some very short boxers on and a head full of dreadlocks. Rather impressive actually, it must have taken him years to grow those. And the other one looked like he should be in the movie Grease (random side note: I do not, I repeat do not, like that movie. I wish I had never seen it.) They were just wandering around listening to music in the back while we tried to have a lesson with their brother. We were sitting at the kitchen table, and the boy was sitting between us with his back facing me. My companion was talking to him and I was just trying to keep up with the conversation and meanwhile, this cat jumped up on the table and started attacking me just like the cat earlier. I think it wanted food because it looked completely emaciated. My companion wasn't really paying attention, and the kid couldn't see me, and I didn't want to cause a scene because I didn't want the creepy brothers to come back, so I just kept trying to fight it on my own. My situation was getting a little desperate when the cat got its claws in my coat and I was afraid to rip my coat up but I really didn't want to have the cat upon my person anymore but finally my companion looked up and saw and the kid grabbed the cat and called the dread-lock brother who took the cat from him and promptly drop-kicked it into the other room. I felt a little bad for the cat, but not too bad since it had been so mean to me.
Another day we were teaching a lesson to this really nice old lady who has a crazy son. He's not actually crazy, just very friendly and animated and chatty. He kept interrupting and talking to us and telling us random things. I didn't understand everything, but at one point I can tell he's talking about a cross on his chest so I was thinking maybe he had a tattoo but then I hear him say, "Can I show you?" And before we can say anything, he lifts off his shirt and shows us his splendid beer-belly with two lines of thin chest hair that form a cross. He said he had had it since birth, and he thinks maybe it's a sign. It was so funny. He left but then returned into the room with a Boba-Fett helmet and said, "Do you know what this is?..Star Wars". Also very funny. And it actually turned out to be a good lesson despite all the interruptions. We are going back this week to teach her again.
While we were tracting this week we rang a doorbell and a man came out pretty quickly and started unlocking the gate (some of the ten-stories have gates in front of the doors...kind of like a prison cell) and said, "My wife's a member." It was a very pleasant surprise for us. We visited with them and found out that he is not a member but wants to be and we get to teach him and help him get ready to be baptized. He came to church this weekend and our goal is for him to come to church every sunday and start staying the whole time.
We went on splits with the Sister Training Leaders on Saturday in Pest and it was a very good learning experience for me. I was nervous about it at the beginning but it turned out really well. She asked me to speak during lessons way more than I usually do and I was really grateful for the chance to practice and bear testimony. I have so much to say to people but I don't usually get the chance because I am slow. I had to stretch myself that day to say things that I had never practiced saying, but usually I can get the message across with a little help.
The highlight of the week was yesterday evening when Laci committed to be baptized. We decided to go back to the basics with him and start over with the Restoration and we were going to watch the film but we couldn't get it to work and I think we were both afraid that he would lose focus in the distraction, but it turned out just fine. We had a really amazing discussion about faith and praying to know if the Book of Mormon is true and we both bore testimony about it. The thing is, Laci kind of likes to debate with us about things so we were worried that he would try to logically and scientifically try to say that he would never receive an answer. So my companion said, "Hypothetically, if you were to pray on March 15th and you received a for-certain answer that it was true, would you be baptized on March 16?" (which is the date we had in mind). He hesitated for a second, and we both thought, "Oh boy, here it comes" But all he said was, "Well, the thing is, March 15th is a national holiday." It was so unexpected and he said it so gravely that we both burst out laughing. He didn't really understand why we were laughing and he said, "It's not funny." So we calmed down and focused and he said that if he knew it was true of course he would be baptized. He really wants to receive an answer and I think he actually already has. We asked him to kneel and pray and ask if it was true right then and there and he did and it was such a beautiful prayer. We pointed out to him afterwards that the good feeling he felt was the spirit and he left the lesson seeming more bright and cheery than I have ever seen him. I am so excited for him. I am confident that Heavenly Father has a really amazing plan for him, just as He does for all of us.
I am very grateful Heavenly Father's plan for me included a mission. I am learning so much about the Gospel, myself, and others. Hungary is an amazing place, but I am learning to appreciate the things that I had at home, while trying to enjoy the things that I have now that I won't when I return home.
I hope that you are healthy and happy. Remember to pray and read your scriptures. It's the little things like that that make a big difference. If you feel annoyed hearing me say that, then maybe that's a sign that you should just try it. I've had to learn it the hard way myself many times.
Take care and enjoy the sunshine. It's kind of rare here.
With all my love,
Sister Naegle
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